Communications

This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records:

Records relating to or mentioning the Creativity Movement. The Creativity Movement is the latest of several incarnations of the racist group (and religion) originally known as Church of the Creator. The movement promotes what it sees as the inherent superiority and “creativity” of the white race.

Founded in 1973 by Ben Klassen, a one-time Florida state legislator and the inventor of the electric can opener, the movement promotes what it sees as the inherent superiority and “creativity” of the white race — about the only tenets there are (aside from an obsession with healthy foods) to its supposed “theology.”

The Creativity Movement rose from the ashes of the World Church of the Creator (WCOTC), a post-Klassen version of Church of the Creator, after WCOTC’s leader was sent to prison to serve a 40-year sentence in 2003. The logo of the group, which is concentrated in Montana, is the letter “W,” standing for the white race, topped by a crown and a halo. The crown symbolizes the claim that so-called Creators are the elite, and the halo is meant to signify that adherents “believe that our white genes are our greatest treasure and [that] we should safeguard our gene pool zealously.”

The Creativity Movement is the latest incarnation of the Church of the Creator, which was established by Ben Klassen in 1973. Its adherents believe that race, not religion, is the embodiment of absolute truth and that the white race is the highest expression of culture and civilization. Jews and non-whites — “mud races” — are believed to be intent on subjugating whites. By the late 1980s, increasing numbers of white supremacists were drawn to Klassen’s Nazi-like belief system, which he spelled out in a series of books, most importantly The White Man’s Bible.

Over the years, some so-called Creators have acted on their group’s calls for RaHoWa — “racial holy war” — and been arrested and imprisoned for violent, race-based crimes. In 1992, for example, George Loeb, a Church of the Creator “reverend,” was convicted of first-degree murder in the slaying a year earlier of Harold Mansfield, Jr., an African-American Gulf War veteran, in a parking lot in Neptune Beach, Fla. Loeb was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole.

After Klassen committed suicide in 1993, the Church of the Creator teetered on the brink of extinction. But in 1995, Matt Hale of East Peoria, Ill., resurrected the group, changing its name to World Church of the Creator (WCOTC) in the process and giving himself the title of Pontifex Maximus, meaning “high priest.” Composed largely of racist skinheads, the Hale-led group grew from 14 chapters in 1996 to 88 by 2002, making it the neo-Nazi group with the largest number of chapters in America at that time. In 1999, the group came into the national spotlight after a key member, Benjamin Smith, went on a three-day rampage, apparently enraged that Hale had been denied his law license on moral grounds despite passing the bar exam. Smith killed an African American and a Korean American and wounded nine others. Hale initially denied knowing Smith, but he was lying. As it turned out, Hale had just months earlier named Smith the “Creator of the Year,” the group’s top honor, and, moreover, had spent many hours on the phone with him immediately before the rampage. Although Hale was never charged in connection with Smith’s murder spree (Smith killed himself as police closed in), many officials felt that he had been involved but evaded responsibility.

But Hale did finally get in serious trouble, being arrested in January 2003 during a federal court battle over the name of his group. A non-racist church in the Pacific Northwest had sued WCOTC, saying it had trademarked the name and demanding that the neo-Nazi group stop using it. Eventually, the judge hearing the copyright case ruled in the non-racist church’s behalf, which apparently infuriated Hale enough to suggest to the group’s security chief (who turned out to be a federal informant) that he murder the judge. The following year, Hale was convicted of one count of solicitation of murder and three counts of obstruction of justice and received a 40-year federal prison sentence. Once again, the church almost collapsed. What loyalists remained became the Creativity Movement (this name change was forced, of course, by the outcome of the federal trademark trial).

After Hale went to prison, the Creativity Movement was plagued by schisms and a lack of centralized leadership. A Florida leader, Adam Jacobs, appeared to take the reins as acting national boss in 2004. But the following year, Jacobs was charged with viciously beating a fellow Creator over a period of 11 hours because he suspected the other man was a snitch. One more time, the Creativity Movement nearly disappeared.

Despite this rocky start, the Creativity Movement eventually saw modest but surprising growth. The Montana Creativity Movement began doing literature drops around Montana and staged rallies in Kalispell and Bozeman in the fall of 2009. This helped the organization to reach 14 chapters in 2009, an increase of three from 2008. Eight of those chapters were in Montana, but as of 2010, the group was led by James Logsdon of Zion, Ill.

The Creativity Movement generated news in 2009 and 2010 when a Billings member, Allen Michael Goff, was charged with felony assault with a weapon and a misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed weapon after he allegedly shot a Hispanic teen in the leg after a party. Although Goff was 17 at the time, he was charged as an adult by prosecutors who said the shooting was racially motivated. They tried to introduce at trial evidence of Goff’s affiliation with the Creativity Movement, but the judge denied their request, saying the evidence didn’t show that the shooting was racially motivated.

Goff — who was named “Creator of the Year” in a Creativity Movement Internet forum in 2009 — pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge, and a jury acquitted him of the felony charge in May 2010. The following month, Goff was sentenced to six months of probation and fined $150. Two days later, he confronted Travis McAdam, executive director of the Montana Human Rights Network, who was presiding over an exhibit featuring the literature and beliefs of the Creativity Movement. Goff accused McAdam of ruining his life. “We’ve always felt he was one of the ringleaders,” McAdam told the Southern Poverty Law Center. “I think what that encounter showed everyone is that he’s going to feel more emboldened now.”

In January 2007, a spin-off calling itself the Creativity Alliance was formed. It’s composed of individuals from Klassen and Hale’s former groups as well as new members, but has no affiliation with the Creativity Movement. Like the Creativity Movement, the Creativity Alliance views Klassen as its founder. In many other ways, however, it differs from the Creativity Movement. It has a more informal organizational structure than the older organization, with individual members expected to find at least one receptive white person to join them in the formation of a local chapter.

The Creativity Alliance claims to eschew a future racial holy war and it has a policy of “non-participation in the ‘White Power’ social scene.” It is hardly a benign organization, however. One of the articles featured on its website is a screed from 2008 by “Brother A.V.W.” In it, the author repeatedly makes slurs against “niggers” and “the hideous Jews.” He ends the piece, “White man fight! White man fight! White man fight!”

In 1992, anticipating a civil lawsuit by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) in connection with the Mansfield murder, Klassen sold most of his Otto, N.C., compound at a fire-sale price to William Pierce, founder and leader of the neo-Nazi National Alliance. After searching for a successor to head his group, Klassen, a former Florida state legislator and inventor of one version of the electric can opener, then committed suicide in 1993 by swallowing four bottles of sleeping pills. After his death, his successor, Richard "Rick" McClarty, failed to defend COTC in the 1994 lawsuit SPLC did bring on behalf of Mansfield's family. As a result, Mansfield's family was awarded a $1 million default judgment. (Later, the SPLC also sued Pierce, who had immediately resold the Otto land at an $85,000 profit, for engaging in a scheme to defraud Mansfield's estate. Pierce was forced to give up the profit he had made on the resale of Klassen's land.)

In 1995, the organization came back to life under the leadership of Matt Hale. An avowed racist from an early age, Hale discovered the COTC in the early 1990s while going to school at Bradley University in Peoria, Ill, near his home. Joining the group in 1995, he seized control in 1996, changing its name to World Church of the Creator (WCTOC) and adopting for himself the title Pontifex Maximus ("highest priest"). Unusually well educated for a neo-Nazi (he ultimately earned a law degree in the late 1990s), Hale managed to revitalize an organization that had virtually collapsed after Klassen's death. From 14 chapters in 1996, WCOTC grew to 88 chapters by 2002, making it the neo-Nazi group with the largest number of chapters in America. Hale also built up the group's Web presence in the late 1990s, and proved adept at winning national publicity on a number of occasions.

Please conduct a search of the Central Records System, including but not limited to the Electronic Surveillance (ELSUR) Indices, the Microphone Surveillance (MISUR) Indices, the Physical Surveillance (FISUR) Indices, and the Technical Surveillance (TESUR) Indices, for both main-file records and cross-reference records of both HQ and all field offices for all relevant names, agencies, organizations, companies and events including but not limited to those cited in the previous paragraphs and/or links as well as a cross-reference with the Southern Poverty Law Center to include any information provided by the SPLC. My request includes but is not limited to 137, 157, 176, 177, 183, 184, 188, and 214 files. If previously released records are available, then I request a rolling release consisting of those records while additional records are located and processed for release.

I am a member of the news media and request classification as such. I have previously written about the government and its activities for AND Magazine, MuckRock and Glomar Disclosure and have an open arrangement with each. My articles have been widely read, with some reaching over 100,000 readers. As such, as I have a reasonable expectation of publication and my editorial and writing skills are well established. In addition, I discuss and comment on the files online and make them available through the non-profit Internet Archive, disseminating them to a large audience. While my research is not limited to this, a great deal of it, including this, focuses on the activities and attitudes of the government itself. As such, it is not necessary for me to demonstrate the relevance of this particular subject in advance. Additionally, case law states that “proof of the ability to disseminate the released information to a broad cross-section of the public is not required.” Judicial Watch, Inc. v. Dep’t of Justice, 365 F.3d 1108, 1126 (D.C. Cir. 2004); see Carney v. U.S. Dep’t of Justice, 19 F.3d 807, 814-15 (2d Cir. 1994). Further, courts have held that "qualified because it also had “firm” plans to “publish a number of . . . ‘document sets’” concerning United States foreign and national security policy." Under this criteria, as well, I qualify as a member of the news media. Additionally, courts have held that the news media status "focuses on the nature of the requester, not its request. The provision requires that the request be “made by” a representative of the news media. Id. § 552(a)(4)(A)(ii)(II). A newspaper reporter, for example, is a representative of the news media regardless of how much interest there is in the story for which he or she is requesting information." As such, the details of the request itself are moot for the purposes of determining the appropriate fee category. As such, my primary purpose is to inform about government activities by reporting on it and making the raw data available and I therefore request that fees be waived.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.

The FBI has received your Freedom of Information Act/Privacy (FOIPA) request and it will be forwarded to Initial Processing for review. Your request will be processed under the provisions of FOIPA and a response will be mailed to you at a later date.

Requests for fee waivers and expedited processing will be addressed once your request has been assigned an FOIPA request number. You will receive written notification of the FBI’s decision.

I am appealing the integrity of the search, as the parameters I specified were not met, including but not limited to a failure to search all the field offices I requested and a failure to search for the name I actually specified. Nor was an attempt made to locate correspondence with the SPCL. I specifically requested "a search of the Central Records System, including but not limited to the Electronic Surveillance (ELSUR) Indices, the Microphone Surveillance (MISUR) Indices, the Physical Surveillance (FISUR) Indices, and the Technical Surveillance (TESUR) Indices, for both main-file records and cross-reference records of both HQ and all field offices for all relevant names, agencies, organizations, companies and events including but not limited to those cited in the previous paragraphs and/or links as well as a cross-reference with the Southern Poverty Law Center to include any information provided by the SPLC. My request includes but is not limited to 137, 157, 176, 177, 183, 184, 188, 214 and 266 files. If previously released records are available, then I request a rolling release consisting of those records while additional records are located and processed for release."

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Dec. 23, 2016. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #1363684-000, DOJ-AP-2017-001934.

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Dec. 23, 2016. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #1363684-000, DOJ-AP-2017-001934.

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Dec. 23, 2016. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #1363684-000, DOJ-AP-2017-001934.

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Dec. 23, 2016. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #1363684-000, DOJ-AP-2017-001934.

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Dec. 23, 2016. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #1363684-000, DOJ-AP-2017-001934.

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Dec. 23, 2016. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #1363684-000, DOJ-AP-2017-001934.

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

Reference is made to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request # 1363685-000 for FBI records concerning the Creativity Movement. The FBI has located approximately 1,513 pages that are potentially responsive to your request. Once requests go over a certain size, usually in the 50-100 page range, they become increasingly complex, greatly slowing down the time required for processing. Generally the larger the file, the longer it takes to process. Given our current workload and staffing levels, it may be a very long time before you would begin to receive material from this request.

We contact requesters with requests of this size to see if there might be a way to possibly narrow the scope. Is this something you might be willing to consider? If so, please contact us in response to this email or by phone and we can discuss this possibility. We appreciate your patience and hope to hear from you soon.

I'm following up to the email sent out last week to you with regards to your FOIA #1363684-000 on the Creativity Movement. The previous email goes into more detail for our contact with you. If you are interested in narrowing the scope of your request, please respond either by email or phone.

As noted in the prior emails sent to you November 28 and December 4, 2017, we would like to know if you are interested in reducing the size of your request (#1363684-000) on the Creativity Movement. The FBI has located approximately 71,513 pages. Please let me know if you are interested in reducing this large sized request into a medium size case.

I’m following up to find out if you wanted this request #1363684-000 on the Creativity Movement to go forward for all 1,513 pages to be processed; or, If you are interested in reducing the size of the request we can discuss an approach.Thanks,

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Dec. 23, 2016. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #1363684-000.

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

Please check the status of your FOIPA Request at http://vault.fbi.gov by clicking on “Check Status of Your FOI/PA Request” on the right side of the page, and follow the instructions below.

Check the Status of Your FOIPA RequestIf your FOIPA Number is [1195846-0] please enter [1195846-000] into the system. If your FOIPA Number is [1195846-1] please enter [1195846-001] into the system. If you have any questions about the status of your FOIPA request, please e-mail foipaquestions@ic.fbi.gov<mailto:foipaquestions@ic.fbi.gov>.

FIND STATUS OF FOIPA- Request statuses are updated weekly

Please enter the whole FOIPA number-Example: [1234567-000]

FOIPA:Results will show the Request Number, Case Type and Process Description shown below:FOIPA:1234567-000

Case Type:FOIPA

Process Description (Will display the current progress of the request)The FBI’s FOIPA Program is searching the FBI’s indices for potentially responsive documents.You may be contacted via formal letter for all fees and/or negotiation issues that may apply.

NOTE: Recent requests are entered into the FOIPA database in the order that they are received. Before you can check the status, you must have received correspondence assigning a FOIPA request number and the information transferred to the online database. Status information is updated weekly. If a request has been closed within the last six months the online database will display the following: The FOIPA number entered has been closed, and appropriate correspondence has been sent to the address on file.

Estimated Dates of CompletionRequests are processed in the order in which they are received through our multi-track processing system, and the FBI receives a voluminous amount of requests on a daily, weekly, monthly, and annual basis. Requests are divided into two primary tracks--simple (under 50 pages of potentially responsive documents) and complex (over 50 pages of potentially responsive documents). Our complex requests are further divided into medium, large, and extra-large sub-tracks. Simple track requests typically require the least amount of time to process.

Currently, simple track cases average approximately 80 days from the date of receipt for processing. Requests in the medium processing track are currently averaging 281 days from the date of receipt for processing, those in the large processing track are currently averaging approximately 774 days, and those in the extra-large track are averaging 879 days.

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Dec. 23, 2016. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #1363684-000.

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

Please check the status of your FOIPA Request at http://vault.fbi.gov by clicking on “Check Status of Your FOI/PA Request” on the right side of the page, and follow the instructions below.

Check the Status of Your FOIPA RequestIf your FOIPA Number is [1195846-0] please enter [1195846-000] into the system. If your FOIPA Number is [1195846-1] please enter [1195846-001] into the system. If you have any questions about the status of your FOIPA request, please e-mail foipaquestions@ic.fbi.gov<mailto:foipaquestions@ic.fbi.gov>.

FIND STATUS OF FOIPA- Request statuses are updated weekly

Please enter the whole FOIPA number-Example: [1234567-000]

FOIPA:Results will show the Request Number, Case Type and Process Description shown below:FOIPA:1234567-000

Case Type:FOIPA

Process Description (Will display the current progress of the request)The FBI’s FOIPA Program is searching the FBI’s indices for potentially responsive documents.You may be contacted via formal letter for all fees and/or negotiation issues that may apply.

NOTE: Recent requests are entered into the FOIPA database in the order that they are received. Before you can check the status, you must have received correspondence assigning a FOIPA request number and the information transferred to the online database. Status information is updated weekly. If a request has been closed within the last six months the online database will display the following: The FOIPA number entered has been closed, and appropriate correspondence has been sent to the address on file.

Estimated Dates of CompletionRequests are processed in the order in which they are received through our multi-track processing system, and the FBI receives a voluminous amount of requests on a daily, weekly, monthly, and annual basis. Requests are divided into two primary tracks--simple (under 50 pages of potentially responsive documents) and complex (over 50 pages of potentially responsive documents). Our complex requests are further divided into medium, large, and extra-large sub-tracks. Simple track requests typically require the least amount of time to process.

Currently, simple track cases average approximately 80 days from the date of receipt for processing. Requests in the medium processing track are currently averaging 281 days from the date of receipt for processing, those in the large processing track are currently averaging approximately 774 days, and those in the extra-large track are averaging 879 days.

Note: This is a non-emergency email address. If this is an emergency, please call 911 directly. If you need to report a tip for immediate action, please contact FBI Tips at http://tips.fbi.gov/ or reach out to your local field office.

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Dec. 23, 2016. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #1363684-000.

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

Please check the status of your FOIPA Request at http://vault.fbi.gov by clicking on “Check Status of Your FOI/PA Request” on the right side of the page, and follow the instructions below.

Check the Status of Your FOIPA RequestIf your FOIPA Number is [1195846-0] please enter [1195846-000] into the system. If your FOIPA Number is [1195846-1] please enter [1195846-001] into the system. If you have any questions about the status of your FOIPA request, please e-mail foipaquestions@ic.fbi.gov<mailto:foipaquestions@ic.fbi.gov>.

FIND STATUS OF FOIPA- Request statuses are updated weekly

Please enter the whole FOIPA number-Example: [1234567-000]

FOIPA:Results will show the Request Number, Case Type and Process Description shown below:FOIPA:1234567-000

Case Type:FOIPA

Process Description (Will display the current progress of the request)The FBI’s FOIPA Program is searching the FBI’s indices for potentially responsive documents.You may be contacted via formal letter for all fees and/or negotiation issues that may apply.

NOTE: Recent requests are entered into the FOIPA database in the order that they are received. Before you can check the status, you must have received correspondence assigning a FOIPA request number and the information transferred to the online database. Status information is updated weekly. If a request has been closed within the last six months the online database will display the following: The FOIPA number entered has been closed, and appropriate correspondence has been sent to the address on file.

Estimated Dates of CompletionRequests are processed in the order in which they are received through our multi-track processing system, and the FBI receives a voluminous amount of requests on a daily, weekly, monthly, and annual basis. Requests are divided into two primary tracks--simple (under 50 pages of potentially responsive documents) and complex (over 50 pages of potentially responsive documents). Our complex requests are further divided into medium, large, and extra-large sub-tracks. Simple track requests typically require the least amount of time to process.

Currently, simple track cases average approximately 80 days from the date of receipt for processing. Requests in the medium processing track are currently averaging 281 days from the date of receipt for processing, those in the large processing track are currently averaging approximately 774 days, and those in the extra-large track are averaging 879 days.

Note: This is a non-emergency email address. If this is an emergency, please call 911 directly. If you need to report a tip for immediate action, please contact FBI Tips at http://tips.fbi.gov/ or reach out to your local field office.

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Dec. 23, 2016. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #1363684-000.

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

Please check the status of your FOIPA Request at http://vault.fbi.gov by clicking on “Check Status of Your FOI/PA Request” on the right side of the page, and follow the instructions below.

Check the Status of Your FOIPA RequestIf your FOIPA Number is [1195846-0] please enter [1195846-000] into the system. If your FOIPA Number is [1195846-1] please enter [1195846-001] into the system. If you have any questions about the status of your FOIPA request, please e-mail foipaquestions@ic.fbi.gov.

FIND STATUS OF FOIPA- Request statuses are updated weekly

Please enter the whole FOIPA number-Example: [1234567-000]

FOIPA:Results will show the Request Number, Case Type and Process Description shown below:

FOIPA:1234567-000

Case Type:FOIPAProcess Description (Will display the current progress of the request)

The FBI’s FOIPA Program is searching the FBI’s indices for potentially responsive documents.

You may be contacted via formal letter for all fees and/or negotiation issues that may apply.

NOTE: Recent requests are entered into the FOIPA database in the order that they are received. Before you can check the status, you must have received correspondence assigning a FOIPA request number and the information transferred to the online database. Status information is updated weekly. If a request has been closed within the last six months the online database will display the following: The FOIPA number entered has been closed, and appropriate correspondence has been sent to the address on file.

Estimated Dates of CompletionRequests are processed in the order in which they are received through our multi-track processing system, and the FBI receives a voluminous amount of requests on a daily, weekly, monthly, and annual basis. Requests are divided into two primary tracks--simple (under 50 pages of potentially responsive documents) and complex (over 50 pages of potentially responsive documents). Our complex requests are further divided into medium, large, and extra-large sub-tracks. Simple track requests typically require the least amount of time to process.Currently, simple track cases average approximately 80 days from the date of receipt for processing. Requests in the medium processing track are currently averaging 281 days from the date of receipt for processing, those in the large processing track are currently averaging approximately 774 days, and those in the extra-large track are averaging 879 days.

Note: This is a non-emergency email address. If this is an emergency, please call 911 directly. If you need to report a tip for immediate action, please contact FBI Tips at http://tips.fbi.gov/ or reach out to your local field office.

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Dec. 23, 2016. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #1363684-000.

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

Please check the status of your FOIPA Request at http://vault.fbi.gov by clicking on “Check Status of Your FOI/PA Request” on the right side of the page, and follow the instructions below.

Check the Status of Your FOIPA RequestIf your FOIPA Number is [1195846-0] please enter [1195846-000] into the system. If your FOIPA Number is [1195846-1] please enter [1195846-001] into the system. If you have any questions about the status of your FOIPA request, please e-mail foipaquestions@ic.fbi.gov.

FIND STATUS OF FOIPA- Request statuses are updated weekly

Please enter the whole FOIPA number-Example: [1234567-000]

FOIPA:Results will show the Request Number, Case Type and Process Description shown below:

FOIPA:1234567-000

Case Type:FOIPAProcess Description (Will display the current progress of the request)

The FBI’s FOIPA Program is searching the FBI’s indices for potentially responsive documents.

You may be contacted via formal letter for all fees and/or negotiation issues that may apply.

NOTE: Recent requests are entered into the FOIPA database in the order that they are received. Before you can check the status, you must have received correspondence assigning a FOIPA request number and the information transferred to the online database. Status information is updated weekly. If a request has been closed within the last six months the online database will display the following: The FOIPA number entered has been closed, and appropriate correspondence has been sent to the address on file.

Estimated Dates of CompletionRequests are processed in the order in which they are received through our multi-track processing system, and the FBI receives a voluminous amount of requests on a daily, weekly, monthly, and annual basis. Requests are divided into two primary tracks--simple (under 50 pages of potentially responsive documents) and complex (over 50 pages of potentially responsive documents). Our complex requests are further divided into medium, large, and extra-large sub-tracks. Simple track requests typically require the least amount of time to process.Currently, simple track cases average approximately 80 days from the date of receipt for processing. Requests in the medium processing track are currently averaging 281 days from the date of receipt for processing, those in the large processing track are currently averaging approximately 774 days, and those in the extra-large track are averaging 879 days.

Note: This is a non-emergency email address. If this is an emergency, please call 911 directly. If you need to report a tip for immediate action, please contact FBI Tips at http://tips.fbi.gov/ or reach out to your local field office.

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Dec. 23, 2016. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #1363684-000.

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

Please check the status of your FOIPA Request at http://vault.fbi.gov by clicking on “Check Status of Your FOI/PA Request” on the right side of the page, and follow the instructions below.

Check the Status of Your FOIPA RequestIf your FOIPA Number is [1195846-0] please enter [1195846-000] into the system. If your FOIPA Number is [1195846-1] please enter [1195846-001] into the system. If you have any questions about the status of your FOIPA request, please e-mail foipaquestions@ic.fbi.gov.

FIND STATUS OF FOIPA- Request statuses are updated weekly

Please enter the whole FOIPA number-Example: [1234567-000]

FOIPA:Results will show the Request Number, Case Type and Process Description shown below:

FOIPA:1234567-000

Case Type:FOIPAProcess Description (Will display the current progress of the request)

The FBI’s FOIPA Program is searching the FBI’s indices for potentially responsive documents.

You may be contacted via formal letter for all fees and/or negotiation issues that may apply.

NOTE: Recent requests are entered into the FOIPA database in the order that they are received. Before you can check the status, you must have received correspondence assigning a FOIPA request number and the information transferred to the online database. Status information is updated weekly. If a request has been closed within the last six months the online database will display the following: The FOIPA number entered has been closed, and appropriate correspondence has been sent to the address on file.

Estimated Dates of CompletionRequests are processed in the order in which they are received through our multi-track processing system, and the FBI receives a voluminous amount of requests on a daily, weekly, monthly, and annual basis. Requests are divided into two primary tracks--simple (under 50 pages of potentially responsive documents) and complex (over 50 pages of potentially responsive documents). Our complex requests are further divided into medium, large, and extra-large sub-tracks. Simple track requests typically require the least amount of time to process.Currently, simple track cases average approximately 80 days from the date of receipt for processing. Requests in the medium processing track are currently averaging 281 days from the date of receipt for processing, those in the large processing track are currently averaging approximately 774 days, and those in the extra-large track are averaging 879 days.

Note: This is a non-emergency email address. If this is an emergency, please call 911 directly. If you need to report a tip for immediate action, please contact FBI Tips at http://tips.fbi.gov/ or reach out to your local field office.

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Dec. 23, 2016. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #1363684-000.

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

Please check the status of your FOIPA Request at http://vault.fbi.gov by clicking on “Check Status of Your FOI/PA Request” on the right side of the page, and follow the instructions below.

Check the Status of Your FOIPA RequestIf your FOIPA Number is [1234567-0] please enter [1234567-000] into the system. If your FOIPA Number is [1234567-1] please enter [1234567-001] into the system. If you have any questions about the status of your FOIPA request, please e-mail foipaquestions@ic.fbi.gov.

FIND STATUS OF FOIPA- Request statuses are updated weekly

Please enter the whole FOIPA number-Example: [1234567-000]

FOIPA:Results will show the Request Number, Case Type and Process Description shown below:FOIPA:1234567-000

Case Type:FOIPA

Process Description (Will display the current progress of the request)The FBI’s FOIPA Program is searching the FBI’s indices for potentially responsive documents.You may be contacted via formal letter for all fees and/or negotiation issues that may apply.

NOTE: Recent requests are entered into the FOIPA database in the order that they are received. Before you can check the status, you must have received correspondence assigning a FOIPA request number and the information transferred to the online database. Status information is updated weekly. If a request has been closed within the last six months the online database will display the following: The FOIPA number entered has been closed, and appropriate correspondence has been sent to the address on file.

Estimated Dates of CompletionRequests are processed in the order in which they are received through our multi-track processing system. Requests are divided into two primary tracks--simple (under 50 pages of potentially responsive documents) and complex (over 50 pages of potentially responsive documents). Complex requests are further divided into medium, large, and extra-large sub-tracks based upon request size. Simple track requests typically require the least amount of time to process. Currently, simple track cases average approximately 134 days from the date of receipt for processing. Our complex requests in the medium processing track are currently averaging 523 days, large processing track are currently averaging approximately 1,335 days, and extra-large processing track are currently averaging 1,875 days for processing.

Note: This is a non-emergency email address. If this is an emergency, please call 911 directly. If you need to report a tip for immediate action, please contact FBI Tips at http://tips.fbi.gov/ or reach out to your local field office.

Note: This is a non-emergency email address. If this is an emergency, please call 911 directly. If you need to report a tip for immediate action, please contact FBI Tips at http://tips.fbi.gov/ or reach out to your local field office.

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Dec. 23, 2016. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #1363684-000.

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

Please check the status of your FOIPA Request at http://vault.fbi.gov by clicking on “Check Status of Your FOI/PA Request” on the right side of the page, and follow the instructions below.

Check the Status of Your FOIPA RequestIf your FOIPA Number is [1234567-0] please enter [1234567-000] into the system. If your FOIPA Number is [1234567-1] please enter [1234567-001] into the system. If you have any questions about the status of your FOIPA request, please e-mail foipaquestions@ic.fbi.gov.

FIND STATUS OF FOIPA- Request statuses are updated weekly

Please enter the whole FOIPA number-Example: [1234567-000]

FOIPA:Results will show the Request Number, Case Type and Process Description shown below:FOIPA:1234567-000

Case Type:FOIPA

Process Description (Will display the current progress of the request)The FBI’s FOIPA Program is searching the FBI’s indices for potentially responsive documents.You may be contacted via formal letter for all fees and/or negotiation issues that may apply.

NOTE: Recent requests are entered into the FOIPA database in the order that they are received. Before you can check the status, you must have received correspondence assigning a FOIPA request number and the information transferred to the online database. Status information is updated weekly. If a request has been closed within the last six months the online database will display the following: The FOIPA number entered has been closed, and appropriate correspondence has been sent to the address on file.

Estimated Dates of CompletionRequests are processed in the order in which they are received through our multi-track processing system. Requests are divided into two primary tracks--simple (under 50 pages of potentially responsive documents) and complex (over 50 pages of potentially responsive documents). Complex requests are further divided into medium, large, and extra-large sub-tracks based upon request size. Simple track requests typically require the least amount of time to process. Currently, simple track cases average approximately 134 days from the date of receipt for processing. Our complex requests in the medium processing track are currently averaging 523 days, large processing track are currently averaging approximately 1,335 days, and extra-large processing track are currently averaging 1,875 days for processing.

Note: This is a non-emergency email address. If this is an emergency, please call 911 directly. If you need to report a tip for immediate action, please contact FBI Tips at http://tips.fbi.gov/ or reach out to your local field office.

Thank you for your inquiry regarding the status of your Freedom of Information Act/Privacy (FOIPA) request. A review of your request has determined the following:

The request is presently in Initial Processing, where the assigned analyst is searching for, retrieving and reviewing potentially responsive records.

Requests are processed in the order in which they are received through our multi-track processing system. Requests are divided into two primary tracks--simple (under 50 pages of potentially responsive documents) and complex (over 50 pages of potentially responsive documents). Complex requests are further divided into medium, large, and extra-large sub-tracks based upon request size. Simple track requests typically require the least amount of time to process. Currently, simple track cases average approximately 134 days from the date of receipt for processing. Our complex requests in the medium processing track are currently averaging 523 days, large processing track are currently averaging approximately 1,335 days, and extra-large processing track are currently averaging 1,875 days for processing.

The search for responsive records is ongoing for your request, so we do not yet know into which track it will fall. The estimated date of completion is therefore based on the average processing time of complex requests in the large processing track. Accordingly, the estimated date on which the FBI will complete action on your request is 1,335 days from the date the FBI opened your request. Once the search has been completed, you may request an estimated date of completion.

Note: This is a non-emergency email address. If this is an emergency, please call 911 directly. If you need to report a tip for immediate action, please contact FBI Tips at http://tips.fbi.gov/ or reach out to your local field office.

I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Dec. 23, 2016. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response. You had assigned it reference number #1363684-000.

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

Please check the status of your FOIPA Request at http://vault.fbi.gov by clicking on “Check Status of Your FOI/PA Request” on the right side of the page, and follow the instructions below.

Check the Status of Your FOIPA RequestIf your FOIPA Number is [1234567-0] please enter [1234567-000] into the system. If your FOIPA Number is [1234567-1] please enter [1234567-001] into the system. If you have any questions about the status of your FOIPA request, please e-mail foipaquestions@ic.fbi.gov.

FIND STATUS OF FOIPA- Request statuses are updated weekly

Please enter the whole FOIPA number-Example: [1234567-000]

FOIPA:Results will show the Request Number, Case Type and Process Description shown below:FOIPA:1234567-000

Case Type:FOIPA

Process Description (Will display the current progress of the request)The FBI’s FOIPA Program is searching the FBI’s indices for potentially responsive documents.You may be contacted via formal letter for all fees and/or negotiation issues that may apply.

NOTE: Recent requests are entered into the FOIPA database in the order that they are received. Before you can check the status, you must have received correspondence assigning a FOIPA request number and the information transferred to the online database. Status information is updated weekly. If a request has been closed within the last six months the online database will display the following: The FOIPA number entered has been closed, and appropriate correspondence has been sent to the address on file.

Estimated Dates of CompletionRequests are processed in the order in which they are received through our multi-track processing system. Requests are divided into two primary tracks--simple (under 50 pages of potentially responsive documents) and complex (over 50 pages of potentially responsive documents). Complex requests are further divided into medium, large, and extra-large sub-tracks based upon request size. Simple track requests typically require the least amount of time to process. Currently, simple track cases average approximately 134 days from the date of receipt for processing. Our complex requests in the medium processing track are currently averaging 523 days, large processing track are currently averaging approximately 1,335 days, and extra-large processing track are currently averaging 1,875 days for processing.

Note: This is a non-emergency email address. If this is an emergency, please call 911 directly. If you need to report a tip for immediate action, please contact FBI Tips at http://tips.fbi.gov/ or reach out to your local field office.